


Sentinel

by Norver



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Abuse, An old work of mine, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Mental Instability, didnt think i would publish it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 20:53:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14702091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Norver/pseuds/Norver
Summary: What if Sayu Yagami was a genius? Well mental illness goes hand in hand with intelligence.





	1. Chapter One: Avoidance

The steady strum of footsteps making their way lightly down the pavement echoed throughout the empty sidewalk as the girl made her way to the police headquarters with a bag in hand. Dark brown hair cut boyishly short and baggy grey hoodie giving off an androgynous feel, she looked somewhat ill with her pale skin and dark circles underneath her eyes.

Face drawn into an uninterested but polite blank look that was somewhat off putting as she proceeded at a languid pace down the sidewalk. It was only when she approached the building that her pace slowed as she spotted a woman walking from the building looking frustrated.

A very familiar woman, one that gave her pause. The woman was clad in a leather jacket and a pair of tight fitting jeans, her obviously japanese complexion complemented her black hair. When the brown haired girl stopped dead in her tracks the woman paused as well, looking up from her stare down at the ground, no longer lost in thought.

A pause of silence was held before a flare of realization lit up both of their faces before the older woman made her way quickly to the younger,”Sayu? I-I never thought, oh then the Chief of police is… I never thought we would meet once again…”

With a tilt of the head Sayu brought a small smile over her features before stating, ”Never thought I’d see you in Japan though… So Naomi-chan, it's been a few years, no?” The woman, Naomi, let a bittersweet smile come over her face as she clapped the girl on her shoulders, “Ah yes, I wish that it was for better circumstances but… well…”

Face flashing through several thoughts ranging from curiosity to analyzing and finally settling on understanding Sayu let her smile fall, brows furrowed before stating,”I see, most likely you are here for the Kira Case. However you are not apart of the task force… Otherwise you would not be leaving with disappointment. You wish to be involved, yes?”

Surprise and then understanding littered Naomi’s features before she stated,”Oh Sayu, you haven’t changed a bit have you? Yes I have… some information that I need to give to them directly. It’s important that I do so… But now the question is are you a part of the task force? You were invaluable with the L.A.B.B. case several years ago…”

“Oh Misora-chan, you do know how to flatter don’t you? No, I haven’t touched that line of work since you last saw me… I only got involved because of Quarter, you know that. I’d… just get in the way anyway. If you wish I can give a call to my father, let him know that there’s a strong lead or tip, and that you need to see them in person, yes?”

With a frown Misora replied,”No, you need to have more confidence in yourself kiddo. And I know for a fact that Sentinel was involved with a few cold cases over the past four years… Don’t think I don’t know that it was you, only you would be bold enough to blatantly get involved with the mafia and yakuza, even under an alias. But I guess that doesn’t matter right now, if it wouldn’t be a bother I would like to speak with someone from task force headquarters.”

Sayu glanced over the woman in a detached manner before nodding and shuffling the bag to the side and pulling out her cellphone while stating,” Well I trust that you kept that secret, well the chief never brought up any escapades that he thought I went on… Then again who would believe a ten year old would be assisting a F.B.I. agent in a serial killer case? And I would prefer if you would refer to me as Sai when around people neither of us are familiar with, Sayu when around those that already know me, and… well do not refer to me as Sentinel… It is for the best, and I shall call you…”

“...Shoko Maki…” Sayu titled her head in acknowledgement before quickly tapping several numbers into her phone and placing it to her ear. After several rings and no pick up she sighed and closed the flip phone. “Well, he doesn’t appear to be answering… if you want you can just hang around until he calls back, I have to drop some clothes off anyway.”

With slow steps, Sayu started towards the building, thoughtful look in place as Misora replied,”Of course Sai. It has been a while anyway and I have missed our talks and statistic throwing.” That got a small chuckle from the girl as she looked back at the woman, mind going into overdrive trying to decipher something.

Catching up in step with her young companion Misora smiled with a sad twinge towards the girl, “Penny for your thoughts?” Sayu glanced down at the ground, brows furrowed and bringing a curled hand to push up against her chin in thought,”Not to sound… stalkerish but… I have kept track of you, you aren’t an F.B.I. agent anymore… so why are you getting involved unless it is some sort of personal vendetta or… maybe attempting to prove yourself. Maybe you wish to have another chance to work under L or… no it is more likely that it is a personal issue…

You quit being an agent because you were going to marry, yes? Then if you are here then could it have something to do with your fiance… if anything then you are connected to the twelve F.B.I. agents that were sent to investigate so…”

Misora’s soft laugh startled Sayu from her thoughts as the older woman wrapped an arm around her shoulder in a friendly manner before saying,”No need to overthink everything Sai… but yes my fiance was one of the twelve F.B.I. agents… he died but the circumstances before his death were suspicious… I do want to bring an end to Kira, I have nothing left to lose right now.”

With a nod Sayu motioned for Misora to wait a moment before entering the building and after several minutes she exited without the bag, having made sure that she told the man at the reception counter that there was a woman needing to speak to the task force when they are available.

After several moments she exited once more with a thoughtful expression on her face. With a a flourished hand motion and an elbow stuck out in a weird offer, Sayu waited patiently for Naomi to hook her arm through her own.

With a small tug, Sayu led the woman away from the building and sighed before saying,”My condolences… but please do not take your life for granted Shoko-chan… I do not wish to see another friend become a statistic… well my only friend…”

Her voice was softer towards the end as a solemn look overtook her features before Naomi let out a heavy breath, “... I’m sorry Sai, I did not mean it like that. I never really expected to see you here, or meet you again. You… You still consider me a friend?”

Glancing off to the side in thought, the teen huffed as memories sped by, bitter, sweet, joyful, and mournful, “Of course, Shoko-chan will always be my friend, do not doubt that.” Misora let a sad smile across her face before stealing her resolve,”Yes, sorry for ever doubting you. So, are you planning to do now?”

Snow started fluttering down from the sky as Sayu studied the woman before shrugging, “If you need assistance than I will be happy to supply it, however I would prefer to not… well no one really knows who I am Shoko, being S is… well something that would be detrimental if it ever reached the public. 

My father currently has no idea and… I cannot deal with the disappointment he would feel if he found out I was wasting my time not studying…” “Say-Sai, that is not wasting your time, you are brilliant, practically a genius! You managed to outwit Beyond and you manage to start your own detective services, and I heard Sentinel had managed to garner quite the reputation with the areas in which crimes were solved. If your father would consider that a waste then he is blind…”

Looking at the anxious looking girl, Misora decided to hammer the nail on the head as she continued,”Let me guess, still the same comparisons between your oh so perfect brother and yourself?” With a flippant hand and a look of stating fact,”Brother is ten times more better than me. For every one scenario I think up, he can think for ten, for every success I have, he can do it so much better. It-it is simply fact. He’ll always be better, I-I-I’ll always be second, they’ll always smile at him and support him, I just need to work harder so they’ll look at me that way…”

With that statement Misora stopped dead in her tracks and looked at her young friend, really looked. Instead of seeing the ten-year-old with a small self esteem issue that was slowly getting better, the one she assumed was the same after all this time, Naomi saw the rubble of the self esteem no longer there. An intelligent person that should by all means be over confident and cocky, riddled with self doubt.

Instead Misora saw past the mask that was starting to slip from the now fourteen year old, if only a little. Sayu might act as though she was lazy but sharp, but the anxiety was there, the desperate need to be accepted was there. ‘It was not nearly as bad as this last time… She… did have problems, she did mention her family comparing the two, but she was better after the case ended…only friend… only friend… 

Of course, she has such horrible people skills so she would be stuck with no support and the older she would get the more pressure her parents would put on her…’ And before Naomi could comment the mask was pulled back on, a shaky smile in place as she stated,”That’s just the way things are… it doesn’t matter anyway.” It was said more for convincing herself rather than Naomi.

Squeezing the younger’s arm Naomi cataloged the information in the section of her young friend, the one that was so sharp and smart, the one that risked her life to find the killer of her first friend, the one that put herself between a disguised Beyond and herself as he wielded a knife.

“Well… You know I am here if you need to talk…” Misora said trailing off before her young friend smiled convincingly at her deciding that the conversation needed to go in a different direction, “Well then, I guess I need to find you a hotel to stay in, not a good idea to stay in the same one for a time so cycling through different ones will be best… will need to procure a false I.D. and I assume you do not have a vehicle at the moment… a motorcycle, yes? Full helmet, can come in handy if you wish to work on the Kira case…

Either or, will need to supply you with a false I.D. Uh I’ll also work on erasing any public information on you, at least pictures, yes, will also need a bank account to transfer funds… You will also need a new phone, one that won’t be traced to your person. Emergencies and such. A laptop? Yes, probably a smart idea…something for emergency contact...”

Breaking out in small chuckles, Misora ruffled the girl’s hair with her free hand as she smiled at the girl as she continued her thoughts on how best to implement her plan. Sayu turned to the woman and blinked owlishly, “What?” “Oh Sai, maybe you are a bit different but you are still the same… I may not even be able to work on the case…”

There was a moment of pause before Sayu smiled, a true smile, small and somewhat like a kicked puppy hoping to please it’s owner, “Well… if that happens then… we can both investigate… you could act as my handler and I would be S, yes?” The uncertainty in her voice was endearing as she stared fretfully at the older woman.

Squeezing the younger’s arm in a reassurance, Naomi gave a reserved smile as memories of the L.A.B.B. case flitted through her mind. “I would enjoy that quite a bit actually, I miss working with you. It was always an adventure to see what ideas you could come up with and just throwing around ideas, however I… well, it doesn’t seem like you want to investigate Kira, it would be wrong of me to pressure you to.”

“Well… I have actually done some research about Kira and… well yes it is true I don’t particularly want to get involved because all outcomes I see end with complications and having to expose the fact that I am… well… yes… But for you, I am willing to put aside my reservations, I’m not worried about my life… I am more worried about…”

“You’re worried about exposing who you are to the task force, and thus your father. You’re worried about how he would react.” Eyes trained on the teen as she shifted uncomfortably , Naomi watched as the teen smiled up at her, it was an honest smile, uneasy, but earnest in the way that Naomi knew that if she asked the teen would drop whatever she was doing and come assist her.

“Neh Neh, Shoko-chan knows me so well… Yes, either or I trust that you wouldn’t go around giving out information regarding Sentinel willy-nilly. Know however that if you have to then I do not mind. I trust your judgement and I know you would never do something to purposely put me in danger, yes?”

The firm nod of confirmation was all the teen needed, knowing her trust was well placed and that Misora understood the consequences of leaked information. The older woman glanced ahead of them as the snow picked up slightly, “So knowing you, you must be working on a case or project hmm?”

A small grin tugged at the younger’s lips as she tilted her head in thought,”Yes, actually. With all this Kira business there are many ripple effects that are currently taking place… specifically in the cyber realm… there is a new splinter group from Lulzsec that is in support of Kira and has…”

Sayu’s little rant was cut off by her phone going off and without a second’s hesitation she pulled it out and flipped it in such a graceful way that made up the air of dramatics around her. “Moshi moshi? ...Oh y-yes, Hello Outo-san… No this is important… Yes actually, I was delivering an extra set of clothes to the station when I ran into this woman that apparently needs to get in contact with an offic… No it seems very important something to do with the Kira case, she says she needs to talk with someone directly so I offered to phone you… I do not believe she is lying…

Yes… Okay then, later today when you get to the station… Then I will keep her company until then… Yes, okay, thank you. Goodbye.” Flipping the phone closed with a small breath to expel any anxiety that was clouding her mind, Sayu smiled towards Naomi as she tucked her phone away.

“So?” The dark haired woman trailed off with the question lingering in the air. With a nod of confirmation Sayu continued,” Yes, Chief will be back in an hour, you will be able to speak to him directly and until then we have things we must take care of… Hotel finding, I.D. making and pulling some strings to get you a vehicle, yes?”

Naomi blinked in surprise as she thought for a moment,”Is an hour going to be enough time for that? I don’t think…” “Nonsense Shoko, it is not so difficult, however the vehicle may take a day or so, but I am sure the public transit is not so bad. So to my lair we go… uh on a side note, I hope you don’t mind a mess… I don’t have guests much, or… at all… uh, yes let us go!” Trailing off with a bout of nervous laughter, the younger led the dark haired woman towards their destination,the air of content solemness surrounding both of them.


	2. Chapter Two: Trust

**Chapter 2;Trust**

It was almost an hour later that the two females made their way back to the station, Naomi in a state of awed shock and Sayu in a state of doubt and a tired worrisome. Naomi was surprised that Sayu actually had a ‘headquarters’ herself, a warehouse that she owned with a backroom decked out in security systems and a computer setup with a mattress situated in a corner with a few childish artifacts littered around.

Even more surprising was the fact Sayu managed to make a fake I.D. and implement false files into several public systems to make it seem as though Shoko Maki was a native in Japan, having a false PHD in criminology from To-Oh and a few false doctor visits from the past years to make her seem more believable. 

Not only was the false I.D. taken care of but Sayu managed to book a five star hotel along with mapping out a route of future hotels for Misora along with transferring funds under her false name as well. And finally within the week Misora would have a vehicle and phone along with a laptop. 

“Say-Sai, I, well I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect to get all that done in such a short time… I just…” A small smile was sent her way, no smugness or arrogance to it, only determination and earnestness,”Well Shoko, as I said it was not a problem, however I guess I will need to take some jobs to keep up funds… but either way, do remember that that location is private, and that if you do decide to work with me that it will not be permanent. 

If, for some reason, you do work with me I will need to know, well we would be moving locations a lot, I would need to also invest in more equipment, and I would also need to probably talk to the U.N. or at least garner support from some government agency, though I would say it is possible that maybe the Netherlands or Russia may contact S to get involved… possibly China, but less likely… Did not do many cases for them… not that big of support because of lack of cases in that area but… well I am getting ahead of myself, I’m sure that you wouldn’t… well nevermind, I mean.”

Naomi shook her head and motioned for her to continue in which Sayu made a slightly strained face at, but covered it quickly with a mask of lack of importance in regards to the information, “Well, yes, first and foremost I will have to go through and do a personal search of your person, implement some false details in regards to your looks and eliminate all and every photo that is available, though it will obviously be suspicious but it will help prevent your untimely… death, should you ever be put on Kira’s radar... Will have to do a nationwide search on public records regarding you to see if there are any hard copies that are within reach of the kanto area…

After that is taken care of within the next two weeks you will need to decide if you wish to work with me if you are given the option to work for the task force, or if you still wish to pursue Kira with or without my personal assistance, that is if you are not offered a spot in the task force. Afterwards well… I was already going to implement a plan so that Sayu Yagami is accepted to a private school overseas… a late admissions that requires her… uh me…. Her to leave within a month from this date.” 

The look that Sayu gave her made Naomi know that what she was saying was important, more important than she was letting on, standing a bit straighter, Naomi gave her full attention to the girl as she continued, “Of course this is just a cover… I did mention about the splinter group on the web… I am very concerned about the safety of safety officials… They seem to have started using the tactics of creating false criminal websites and making false charges with officials… More or less showcasing police and detectives as wanted criminals or criminals behind bars…”

That sparked a bolt of panic and shock through Naomi’s system as she turned on the girl, eyes wide with surprise as the implications ran through her head,”Sayu that’s very bad! If they do that and I doubt Kira would fact check to see if they truly are criminals, then that could… that could…

Sayu nodded, a frown marring her face as she corrected, “ Please get into the habit of calling me Sai… But yes, I understand your concern… It could very well be the tip of the iceberg and the effects would be that with the decline in police and detectives would lead to less accurate information and less criminals’ being accurately reported or found. Without the police or detectives to be able to handle every robbery, murder, or rape that occurs than there is a better chance that the perpetrators would get away with these crimes…

While this splinter group claims to be for Kira I believe… No I am sure, that there is some backroom politics from the underworld taking place here… But more time is needed, sadly more deaths as well, to be able to create an accurate comparison and possible connection between the places, victims, and who gains from these situations…”

Naomi took a deep breath and swallowed nervously, of course she knew that Kira was affecting the world, but how much was very misleading. Of course there would be people to take advantage of the situation, attempt to make a gain from it, but to hear about the possibility of good, hard working people dying because of what, a bunch of internet junkies that had a hidden agenda? Posting false information with a rogue ‘God’ that wasn’t as omnipotent that he was trying to appear to punish these people without a second thought to consequences or whether where he got this information from was credible in the first place…

It was a terrifying thought… That now Kira was killing those he believed to be criminals but were actually… possible agents, FBI agents, her friends, her old coworkers… Such a sickening though, “But Sai! Couldn’t you take the websites down? Can’t you prevent the deaths?!”

“...Sadly even if I take the websites down, the thing is, it’ll only lead to a roadblock… Even if I would take the sites down, they would be back within a few days, with increasing numbers… It’s choosing between letting less die now or let the number accumulate over time...”

“Sai! These are lives on the line! These are lives at stake!” 

“...I am well aware of that Shoko-chan… Please… Control yourself…” Sayu soft solemn voice rang in the air as Naomi blinked, finally noticing they both had stopped and that she was practically lifting the surprisingly light girl off her feet, hands curled in the fabric of her hoodie. The teens face was repressed, only showing guilt and a good amount of self hatred mixed with anger.

Sayu’s voice lowered even more, regret, anger, tiredness all mixing into a bare mumble, “Misora-chan, I am one person… this is a group of hackers backed by wealth… I maybe of some notoriety for skill, however… one person cannot trace all of them, shut down the websites, and guess about who would benefit from these killings… so… I take full blame… the deaths that have happened, the deaths that will… 

I promise, that as soon as all the hackers can be traced, as soon as the backer or backers are found, that we will nail them with the book and no more unnecessary lives will be at risk… That is all I can promise Misora…” Grip tightening for a miniscule of a second, Naomi took a breath before reigning in her emotions, slowly letting the teen back on the ground and sliding her hands to the girl’s shoulders.

The dark haired woman closed her eyes for a moment, analyzing her emotions and coming to an understanding of herself. Anger, she was angry but not at Sayu, no she was angry at herself, at Kira, hell, even Raye for not being there with her now. Squeezing the teens shoulders, Misora slowly opened her eyes to look at the girl, “I know, I know you will. You’re the best at what you do, and I’ll trust your judgement… I’m sorry…for… well.”

Lifting her hands, Sayu clasped them on the older woman’s wrists as she gave a small comforting smile, understanding and all previous and current anger and guilt and self doubt hidden perfectly under her mask before stating,” I know, you’re tired Shoko, you’re grieving, it… is understandable. I may not be the best for advice or the best listener, but please remember that you are not alone, now if we don’t get going we’re going to be late, yes?”

Refusing to acknowledge the sting in her eyes, Misora shakily wrapped her arms around the teen and tucked her head into her hair. Sayu, stiff as a statue, awkwardly patted the woman on the back as she felt the top of her head become slightly damp. Letting out a choppy chuckle, Naomi said,” You act like you’ve never been hugged before, or are you just that socially awkward.”

“...It… has been a long time… the last time I was hugged… was actually by you, after the L.A.B.B. case…” The quiet honesty made the older woman tighten her grip on the girl and let out a sigh. Thoughts flittered through her mind, the L.A.B.B. case… it was about four years ago… and yes, she did hug the girl after the case, and sometimes during the case. Even convinced Sayu and Ryuzaki to get into one of those public photo booths outside an arcade at one time…

That memory, while one of the better ones of the case, made Misora flinch at the thought. The good tainted with the betrayal that Rue Ryuzaki was B, Beyond, the killer. And it was obvious that Sayu didn’t trust the man completely from the beginning, the two always trying to outwit each other and annoy the other. She still had the pictures in her wallet of the three of them…

A light huff of a laugh escaped her as she thought of it, even if the memories were painful to remember she would never forget the extent the two went to, to annoy one another. Like siblings almost, or good friends if it weren’t for the underlying ‘I don’t trust you’ vibe from Sayu, and the ‘Your interesting, like a bug under a microscope’ feel from Beyond. 

Even so, they both worked together on the case flawlessly, like a well oiled machine, with Beyond leading them but Sayu obviously picking up on his ideas and clues much fast than Misora herself. They were a terrifying duo, and that was probably why Beyond had such an interest in the young girl, interest becoming a fear somewhat, at least to his plans. 

That’s why he tried to kill them, that’s also why when he failed and when he was eventually caught his focus shifted from L to Sayu, the ten year old that outsmarted him, outwitted him, recognised him as a rival. On that line of thought, Naomi felt a bit of nervousness, the knowing that if he ever did escape confinement that he would most likely go after the girl...

Getting her emotions under wraps, Naomi pulled away from the teen and patted the girl on the shoulder before motioning forward to the building in the distance, the police headquarters. Dabbing lightly at her eyes, Misora smiled bitterly as the teen grabbed her free arm, holding the sleeve, while tugging her along to the building in the distance.

When they made it to the front of the building the teen released her from her hold and gave a smile, this one seemed forced and more wider than her normal smiles that were always small,sincere, and always reminded her of a kicked puppy, “Well Maki-san, thank you for accompanying me to the coffee store, it was a pleasure but my father should be in by now, hope have a nice day.”

With a blink of realization, Naomi reciprocated the smile and replied,” Yes Yagami-san, it was a pleasure, thank you for treating me, you really didn’t have to.” Sayu gave a closed eye smile as he turned on her heel, hand up in a dismissive wave as she stated,” It was no problem! Don’t be a stranger now, you hear?”

Naomi smiled gently as the girl left, staying rooted to her spot and watching the teen until they were gone from sight, turning a corner. The girl trusted her a lot, allowing her free reign with the information she gave her. Trusting her with the ability to give out her secret if she thought it necessary, but that made Naomi all the more determine not to betray such trust.

She trusted her with all the information and even put forth more than enough effort to help protect and supply her with what she needed, then no, she was not going to betray her. If anything, if she did meet L and decided to work with him then she would probably be able to come up with a way for L to know who Sentinel is without tipping off the Chief.

Yes, that was a good start, but for now, her theory regarding Kira was finally going to be of some use, and Raye's death will not be in vain. With a steely gaze of determination she made her way into the building, thoughts littering her mind, each of different subjects, but most circling around Raye, Kira, her friend, and the terrifying thought of ripple effects… 


	3. Chapter Three: Sighted

The room was silent except for the the tapping of keys as the hunched over man continued to stare wide eyed at the screen, dark circles under his eyes accenting his already pale complexion. Thumb pressed up to his lip, he was less focused on the screen and more lost in thought as he slowly turned in his chair to look over at the woman slowly sipping some coffee from a tea cup.

Moonlight flitted through the open curtains showcasing the cityscape of the buildings around, showing just how late it actually was. The woman, Naomi Misora, he knew from before, she had worked as an agent for him. It was of great interest to him that her fiance was one of the twelve FBI agents, even greater interest that she had managed to procure a false I.D. 

In all honesty he would not put it past her mental capabilities to think that far ahead, but it has only been several days since the death of the FBI agents, so how she came by something like that on such short notice was currently beyond what he could estimate.

A sigh left the woman’s lips as she returned his stare, eyes boring into each other as an eyebrow was raised in question. Comparatively the woman obviously held much respect for him, but she also was uncomfortable around him with how much he looked like Beyond Birthday, or rather how well Beyond managed to disguise himself as L.

But whatever the woman thought of him, L was relieved that nothing had happened to her. She was one of the best agents he had worked with, intelligent,determine, and bold, though it was also one of her downfalls. It would have been a shame had she met her end if Kira had figured out that she knew a crucial piece of evidence.

To think that she came up with the theory that Kira could kill without heart attacks and her proof being her own take on what had happened to her fiance… Well it was an indefinite help, though it was somewhat of a mess before he saw her, the NPA trying to say they have a woman that apparently had worked with him before, whose name did ring any bells until she admitted to using an alias. 

“...Well L, you remind me of a friend of mine… You don’t have to analyze me all the time, I’m more than willing to answer questions.” Blinking in a thoughtful sort of way, L removed his finger from his face before leaning forwards more, knees pressed closer to his chest as he motioned toward the ID on the table in front of her.

“I am quite curious as to how you managed that on such short notice…” An inquisitive look overcame her features before she glanced towards the sleeping figure of Chief Yagami, “Well, honestly I have a friend that supplied it, and they… well it is somewhat difficult to explain because there are some things I wish not to tell. Similar to how you would not want us to betray your trust and reveal what you look like, my friend, Sentinel, wishes to remain anonymous towards certain figures…”

Thumb returning to his lip as thoughts ran through his mind he carefully stated,”...Sentinel… The famous detective? Well somewhat famous, Sentinel is only well known in some asian countries as well as the Netherlands and several surrounding counties. Over the past several years they had become better known… No one knows what they look like, who they are, very few know how to contact them, all known methods are through secure channels over the internet, even then it is not known if it would reach Sentinel…

So what you are saying is that… You know who Sentinel is, you know what they look like. You’ve met them in person and if that is true then you had to have met them before, worked for them before. Sentinel… trusts you a great deal… even provided a false ID for you, why is that?”

Misora sat her cup down with a sigh, sorting out her thoughts and carefully picking out what to say she replied,”You are correct, I did meet them before, before they were Sentinel actually, I worked with them once. We are also friends and the reason why they supplied an ID for me was because… They know me well enough that I was getting involved with the Kira Case, they also know about my fiance, so they supplied the ID, they are supplying me with a hotels to live at, technology, vehicles, and access to their information relevant to Kira. So as to why? I am loyal to them, I respect them a great deal and on the other side they are loyal to me, and they worry for my safety.”

Tilting further in his chair L narrowed his eyes slightly as he observed the woman, “...Friends? I see… What would have happened if you could not get into contact with the NPA?” Naomi leaned forward in thought before letting out a tired sigh, “If I wouldn’t had been able to get ahold of anyone at taskforce and offered a chance to help  than I was offered to investigate with Sentinel.”

Thumb pressed firmly to his lip, L leaned back in his chair with his wide eyed stare, a thoughtful look of interest decorating his face,”Really? That sounds interesting, so you said that if you were not offered to help that you were given a opportunity to still investigate, so… that means you are still in contact with Sentinel, or at the very least Sentinel can still contact you… it would be of great help if we were to have their skill set on this investigation.”

“I’m sorry but I don’t think that will be possible right now… From what I know they are currently busy with another assignment, the only reason why they offered to investigate was because of my determination to do so… So tell me L, what’s your real reason as to why you are interested in getting into contact with Sentinel?”

Turning back to look at the security footage on the screen, L thought for a moment before tilting his head back to look at the woman,”Well… I am interested in them… I also cannot rule out the possibility that Sentinel could be Kira until I have more information on them…”

“Ryuzaki!” “ I suspect them with only one percent but even that is too much to allow any stone unturned. If anything it is suspicious that they are willing to investigate with you but will not do so unless you are involved Misora-chan…”

“Ryuzaki, I know that is not the case, and I know for a fact that they are not Kira, the reason why they would investigate if I were to choose to do so with them is because then there would be more than just one person to do the work. When I said they are busy, I mean they literally are busy. Kira is not just causing the death of criminals… no from what sh… they told me there are ripple effects that are in play right now. 

It... is quite a frightening thought that a splinter group has popped up. A splinter group from Anonymous, specifically one that is in support of Kira, however S believes that there is some other motive… backroom politics… you see, well from what S said they are fabricating different websites and making false reports making it appear that police officers and detectives are criminals, either wanted or currently in jail…

These websites are resulting in the deaths of honest working people, I personally do not know much about it, S only said the bare minimum that I would need to know about the subject, but still… it proves that this isn’t some angry God punishing the unjust, not some omnipotent being... Even if S is known as a great detective and hacker, they are still one person L… It would be too much for them to work on damage control and the Kira case without somehow alleviating some of the work.”

This new information seemed to stun the man sitting in his strange little position while Naomi hoped he didn’t notice her slip at the beginning of the rant, almost referring to S as a she. Different thoughts flew through his mind before closing his eyes to organize all of them and cataloging the information for later, deciding not to mention that he did in fact notice the slip, “I see, I was not aware of the extent that Kira has affected the world, then it would be in our best interest to allow Sentinel to continue with what they are currently working on…”

L glanced off to the side of the hotel room, at the window with the cityscape as he tried to piece this new puzzle together. True S did tend to be much more elusive compared to others under aliases, much harder to contact as well since there was no sure way that anyone would reach Sentinel. Only a few times on record have countries reached out and asked for the assistance of S, most of them mainly because they refused to call he, himself up for the case.

Pride is such a fickle thing, it can make or break a person and can hinder the progress of solving cases, or in this instance, prevent political figures from contacting someone they  _ knew _ could solve the cases they had, instead hinged the success of the case on the idea of an upstart that had no real name at the time. Though it shows that sometimes that pride can play to the advantage of some, a positive outcome, now having a backup to goto if they wish not to contact L.

But to know that there are more lives on the line now, lives of oblivious police and detectives that had no idea of the fact their lives are at stake… The world was already taking a dangerous turn currently, with the fact that criminals are dying left and right, in prison or out, was setting up a dangerous mindset for those still willing to commit crimes.

It was making a do or die mentality. Now the fatality rate for police was rising  _ because _ of the fact criminals knew that if they were caught they would die, if they showed up on the news they would die, if they were even a suspect they would die. So those that still committed crimes were not willing to back down, they would go down with a fight, because they  _ expected _ death, making them less likely to cooperate with police meaning more casualties on both sides.

But even so… Two people to investigate on top of all those other responsibilities was still probably not enough for Sentinel to be able to devote a sufficient amount of time to properly investigate the main Kira case. So what was she waiting for? Most likely waiting for a large country or police organization to contact her, or at least attempt to. Then possibly negotiate a deal that would involve having a small group of people work with or for her.

Or could it be… that currently that she was incapable of devoting enough time to investigate? Is she limited in her movement… Maybe both... Thumb rubbing over the front of his teeth L turned back to the TVs currently showing a range of security footage, mainly from involving Raye Penber. Thoughts conflicting on whether to focus back on his thoughts of the death of the twelve FBI agents and the puzzle that is Sentinel, he decided to continue on his line of thought.

So then… if she is limited in her movement then it could be assumed that it is because of her alias is not all that she is. She is a person with a life, a social life that would require her to be present throughout a good portion of the day. So is it possible that she is currently waiting for some opportunity to be excused from day to day responsibilities? Or is it possible that she really is occupied with other cases and currently cannot afford to take on any more and it is nothing more than that.

On that note L unpaused the recordings and resumed his tedious observations of the events that led up to the deaths of the twelve FBI agents, specifically Raye Penber. With that in mind his thoughts traveled to the conversation that he was going to have to have with the task force when they show up for their shift.

Chief Yagami most likely had an idea as to what they would be needing to speak about but with Naomi Misora here, it was pushing the investigation closer to just who Kira is. Misora had already explained her thoughts on how her fiance was killed but… “Misora-chan, if you could, would you explain your theory once more, to make sure that all the details are straight and understandable for when the rest of the task force arrives.”

Shifting in her chair, her eyes fluttered rapidly trying to rid the tiredness from them as she took another sip of her coffee,”Of course… several days before Raye’s death he was on his last day of observing the subject he was tailing. He explained that he was on a bus that was jacked and that he had to show his ID… the bus jacker, Kiichiro Osoreda, had started to hallucinate and ran off the bus, and was hit by a car. I later learned that he had died, but after Raye’s death I went to the Spaceland Shuttle Transportation Incorporated Office to speak to the bus driver, Sasaki, to see if Raye was indeed on the bus, and if possible to find out who else was on the bus.

He was sure that there was six other passengers other than Raye and that was the only thing he can confirm. If my hunch is right, one of those other six passengers could have been kira… In which case he may live somewhere near that bus route. 

The day Raye died he said he was going to Shinjuku station, and that day four people died of heart attacks around shinjuku. It was no coincidence, Kira doesn’t need to use a heart attack to murder people, I know that for a fact. If my analysis is correct then Kira can control a person’s actions before their deaths..”

After several moments of silence, with Misora looking depressingly at her almost empty cup, but a sense of determination surrounding her and L sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest observing her he broke the silence,” Thank you Misora-chan, well stated, easy to follow. When the rest of the taskforce arrives I will start to call you by your alias, not that I do not trust them, but you still are being given the option to investigate with Sentinel and it makes more sense to have them believe it is your real name, so I will also supply you with a false ID.” 

That being said Watari entered the room with a cart full of snacks and made his way over to the woman, refilling her cup with coffee and leaving some creamers and sugars on the table for her to doctor the drink with. From underneath the cart he pulled out a suitcase and sat it in a free space, opening it to show another false ID under the name of Shoko Oshima.

With a strained smile, Naomi thanked Watari quietly as he went and served L his sweets. The quietness of the hotel was refreshing, but also heavy with an underlying tension of stress and the expectation of having a serious conversation soon. Taking a breath to relax herself, Misora took a sip of her coffee, not bothering with the creamer or sugar before tiredly closing her eyes. 

‘Only for a minute..’ 

 

It was, in fact, not a minute, it was more like several hours before she was woken up by the sound of voices. “ That’s all of the security footage we managed to find showing the murdered FBI agents. We’re lucky we found this much.”

“So we have three of them on camera when they had the heart attacks. Knick Staek was in a Ginza department store, Raye Penber was on a platform on the Yamanote line, and Nikola Naseberg was in Ikerbukuro bank. As for the others, the most we could find was where they’re leaving their hotels.”

“Can you play back the parts where Raye Penber goes through the turnstile, where he gets on the train, and where he dies? I’d like to see those again, next to each other.”

“He enters through a turnstile on the west side of Shinjuku station at 15:11. That matches what’s printed on the back of his pass. It’s not the clearest image but that’s definitely Raye Penber. We don’t have to send this to the lab to see that. He gets on the train at 15:13. Even if he was shadowing someone at the time, this image isn’t clear enough to figure out who it might be. And right before he died…”

“Very strange… He gets on the train at 15:13 he dies the moment he gets off at 16:45. One full circle on the Yamanote line loop takes on hour and he was on there for an hour and a half… but no other ticket was found on him, and nothing printed on his prepaid card to indicate he got out and reentered, Raye Penber received the file with the names and faces of all the FBI agents on his computer at 15:21. That’s just eight minutes after he boarded. Penber sat on that train for an hour and a half with the file on him… Kira can control people’s actions right before they die, so I suppose we could just say that’s the reason any of the agents acted strangely that day, but… What happened to the the envelope!?”

“Huh?!”

“At the turnstile and on the platform, he’s holding something like a manila envelope.”

“An envelope?! Hey! You’re right. He’s holding an envelope! He’s got it over here, too. I can’t believe you notice that, Ryuzaki!”

“There was nothing like an envelope found on his body, though…”

“Which would mean he left it on the train.”

“Maybe… That envelope contained a file of the FBI agents in japan... “

“And Kira got it from him, then made Penber get off and kill him.”

“No. Penber only got the file at 15:21, on the train. He couldn’t have had it before he boarded.”

“Oh, yeah…”

“ Get every station on the Yamanote line to give you all the footage they have for December 27.”

“Uh, okay…”

And… This last image of Raye Penber… To me… It looks like he’s desperately trying to look into the train…”

“...And if he is, that’s a clue?”

“Wouldn’t it be interesting if Kira was in there?”

“You couldn’t be…”

“I agree, it isn’t likely. If Kira can murder from afar, why would he bother going there…? Still, he might have figured that’s what we’d think, and taken the risk of coming out in the open.Well, even if Kira was on this train, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t let himself be captured on a security camera with the envelope…

A public place like this, he would have checked the camera locations in advance and used the blind spots, if any. If not, he’d hide behind someone. But if he is captured on camera with it, we could call him in as a material witness.”

Standing with a stretch and a somewhat convincing mask of not being bothered about how they were talking about her dead fiance, Misora made her way over the the couch containing L, giving a nod and a small smile to Watari as she passed him.

A quick glance towards her walking form, L continued to talk, “Continuing on with focusing on Raye Penber, we will be focusing most of our investigation currently towards him. I know most of you were curious as to why there was a sleeping woman in the room, but now I can explain it. This if Shoko Maki, however for now you all will call her Shoko Oshima. Shoko-chan was Raye Penber’s fiancee.”

“Ryuzaki! Why would you have a civilian-”

“Shoko-chan also use to be a successful FBI agent, and has also worked under me before…” That shut up any protests any of the agents would have with working with her. “She also has crucial information regarding the days led up to Raye Penber’s death, and a very interesting theory. Shoko-chan, if you would.”

With a nod she started,” Of course Ryuzaki, several days before Raye died he was on his last day of observing the subject he was tailing. He said that he was on a bus that was hijacked and that he had to show his ID… the bus jacker, Kiichiro Osoreda, had started to hallucinate and ran off the bus, and was hit by a car.I did a bit of research and found out he did indeed die, but after Raye’s death I went to the Spaceland Shuttle Transportation Incorporated Office to speak to the bus driver, Sasaki, to see if Raye was on the bus, and if possible to find out who else was on the bus.

He was sure that there was six other passengers other than Raye and that was the only thing he can confirm. If my hunch is right, one of those other six passengers could have been kira… In which case he may live somewhere near that bus route. 

The day Raye died he said he was going to Shinjuku station, and that day four people died of heart attacks around shinjuku. It was no coincidence, Kira doesn’t need to use a heart attack to murder people, I know that for a fact. If my analysis is correct then Kira can control a person’s actions before their deaths..”

The surrounding silence was deafening as the police officers thought over what the woman had said before the youngest of the group, a man with a smooth complexion and black wavy hair, bowed towards her,” Uh, My condolences Maki-san! You are a very strong person to have gone to such great lengths.My name is Touta Matsuda, uh but call me Taro Matsui ” That seem to set off the other officers as they also gave their condolences and introduction as well as aliases.

There was Touta Matsuda otherwise known as Taro Matsui, Mogi Kanzo alias being Kanchi Moji, Shuichi Aizawa also known as Aihara, Hirokazu Ukita, and finally Chief Yagami. Souichiro Yagami with his alias being Yonjuro Asahi. It took a bit of effort to not let any annoyance or any negative emotion to show on her face when she greeted Yagami, he seemed like a decent detective but being a decent detective is a whole nother field when compared with parenting.

After introductions were done, L cleared his throat, slightly annoyed at being sidetracked but nonetheless continued without mentioning it,”Following Shoko-chan’s line of thought…. Well Haley Belle was the first person to receive the file. Penber called him minutes before tat. Belle then sent Penber the file right away… So the one who wanted the file first could have been Penber. That’s very significant. Then there’s his unusual behavior on the Yamanote line… and now with the theory his fiancee is bring up… and now that we have some missing pieces filled in by Shoko-chan… 

Here’s what we do, we’re narrowing our investigation down to those Raye Penber was probing before December 19, when kira started conducting test on prisoners. That’s very few people. However… since it’s quite possible that Kira is one of them, calling them is for questioning is not going to work. It’s too dangerous.Our focus will be two NPA personnel, and their families… Penber reported there were “no grounds for suspicion” for any of them, but…

Nevertheless, inside those two homes… We will place secret cameras and listening devices.” There was an outcry among the detectives as Misora frowned thoughtfully, staying quiet as L continued,” So you won’t risk your jobs? I thought you were risking your lives for this.” The silence that followed wa short lived before Yagami broke it with a serious tone,” Who were the two NPA personnel that Penber was probing?”

Matsuda made his way quickly to the table and started looking over several sets of papers before finding one,” Let’s see, that’s before December 19th…” L interrupted him as he finished that thought, looking Shouichiro right in the eye,”Deputy Director- General Kitamura and his family, and Detective-Superintendent Yagami and his family. I’d like to place bugs and hidden cameras in those two homes.”

“But… in Japan, that’s an illegal violation of human rights!” Matsuda cried out as Aizawa followed up with,” If this gets out, they’ll dismantle the task force!” After a moment of silence a very sullen Yagami asked,” Ryuzaki… What is the probability of Kira being in one of those families…?” 

“Ten percent… No, five percent.”

“Just five percent..?”

“It should be at least fifty percent for that extreme a step…”

Chief Yagami cut off the rest of the chatter as he state,” No, our investigation hasn’t turned up anything close to a suspect so far. Even a probability of one percent is better than that, and needs to be scrutinized…”

“Yes, but with the bugs and hidden cameras?! In the deputy chief's house and your own…?! There’s got to be other ways.” Matsuda said watching the perspiration dripped down Yagami’s strained face as he stared at L. Straightening up more the Chief then said,” I find it extremely galling, to say the least, to have my family under suspicion. So very well, go ahead. You have my permission! But if you do this...I insist you go all the war. I want bugs and cameras in the bathrooms, hallways, every inch of the house so that nothing is missed.”

L stood in shock for a moment, slouch posture slightly less than before,”Thank you. That’s exactly what I plan to do.” After he stated this Matsuda cried out,” S-Sir! Are you serious?!” Followed up by Aizawa asking,” Do you really understand what this means?!”

Matsuda continued,” Think about your wife! And you daughter!” That seemed to break the camel's back as the stressed man swung around, hand motioning to himself as he yelled,” I’m FULLY aware of what this means! Including the fact it’s meaningless if it isn’t done thoroughly! Now just shut up!!”

“Sorry, sir…”

“It’s okay… I’m sorry, too…”

L walked over to the couch in thought as he sat down before shuffling himself into his usual weird way of sitting before stating,” As a courtesy to Yagami-san… Surveillance of the Yagami home will be carried out by him, Shoko-chan, and myself only- While the rest of you take turns doing the following- two people keep watch over te Kitamura house, one person mans the NPA office… 

And one person looks through the Yamanote line security videos to check if anyone from the Kitamura or Yagami families is pictured. The bugs and cameras will be in place for seven days,. This period may be shortened or extended, depending on the circumstances. In either case, I’ll tell you about it. You have my word I will not extend it secretly. So that’s all right, then? Watari. How long will it take you to get the bugs, cameras and monitors ready?”

Watari looked up from the laptop he was typing on before stating,” Starting tomorrow… They can be installed anytime. Once we know when nobody will be home.” L continued from that,”Good. So we’ll need at least two monitoring rooms set up in another hotel. Once the bugs and cameras are in place, we’ll move over to that hotel.”

In the mean while Misora was dumbstruck for a moment. And for just a moment the thought of, maybe Sayu could be Kira, she’s smart enough for it, ran through her head. And the moment after that thought another memory popped up.

The first time she met the girl, standing in front of the plated glass separating the morgue from the observation room, when Sayu had to come in and confirm the body of Quarter Queen since the parent was away. The one utterance that made Misora actually look at the girl, that was made through glassy eyes, burning with a anger, _ ’What right did he have? What right did the murderer have to play God? To take a life… I hate those kinds of people Misora-san, and I promise… I’m gonna nail that bastard with the book… let ‘em rot in concrete cell for the rest of their life.’ _

Guilt struck her as she just realized that she  _ did  _ just doubt Sayu, even though Misora knows for a fact that’s not how Sayu thinks. She could never be Kira because she already was a detective, and her style wasn’t the elimination of a criminal, it was ensuring that their sentence would be served. Ensuring that they would be processed through the criminal justice system. So the victims or the families of the victims would get closure, that’s how Sayu operates.

Even so every action Sayu has taken has no other motives towards them other than concern for her. Sayu already knew her name and what she looked like, she didn’t pry for the information on Kira Naomi had, she even ensured that she would safely get into contact with the taskforce and L. if Sayu was Kira she would have been dead ten times over already.

The memory played out in her mind of how she met Sayu and why she was in America in the first place. Was on vacation, and managed to convince her family to go to LA, though only she and her father could go. They got there a day after and that broken look on Sayu’s face when Misora told her that her one friend, the reason why she wanted to go to LA in the first place, was dead and mutilated.

The sad thing was that the Chief never realized that his daughter’s friend had died, because immediately when they arrived, he was whisked away to assist on another case that involved the yakuza in LA and so Sayu was left to her own devices… Which led to Sayu assisting in the L.A.B.B. case…

Snapping out of her thoughts she glanced around the room noting the other’s reactions and trying to put aside the worry that Sayu could be discovered as Sentinel, then again Sayu was not dumb, not at all. So she most likely wouldn’t be doing anything inside her household with the Chief around that would associate her with S.

Even if she would be put under suspicion from L, then her personality traits would show that it is not comparable to Kira, sure one might be smart enough to be Kira, but if they do not fit the criminal profile that they create than they are innocent. If anything this is good, if they would survey the household while Sayu was away it might put her under even more suspicion so… yes, time will show that Sayu is definitely not Kira, and hopefully won’t reveal that she is Sentinel either.


	4. Chapter Four: Impressions

Another day, is just that, another day. Maybe a bit different from the one before it, maybe very different, but all in the same, it is a new day. Though with a short glance at the inside of her bedroom door Sayu resisted the urge to frown at the piece of thread hanging limply from where it was stuck in a splintered piece of wood above her door frame.

She just got back home at around five and had not seen the small piece of thread that she always made sure was hanging slightly out above the door, small enough that no one would notice unless they already knew it was there.

So someone was in her room. It couldn’t have been her mother, Sachiko never comes in her room, mainly because Sachiko refused to clean it or do her laundry and the wires that surrounded her desk and game consoles and a bunch of robotics stuff littered around the room haphazardly. Light would never enter unless Sayu herself was in there, she was certain of that because it would be socially unacceptable to enter a bedroom without permission so Light would never be caught dead doing that.

The Chief was only home yesterday and had paid for a spa pass for her mother as repentance for not being home a lot lately and had asked if she was going to be at the ‘library’ again today… So that leaves several options. The unlikely event that someone in her family came in, but judging from how there  _ looked _ like there was nothing disturbed in her room. The other option was that someone she didn’t know was in here.

There is a ninety percent probability that that is the case. ‘If so then who? No that’s the wrong questions to ask,  _ why _ were they in here… is it possible that I’m wrong and that it was Mother? Maybe… maybe… but if it was someone else… then why would they…’ Slugging her bag off her shoulder she sat it next to the door before making her way over to her workspace that had many papers scattered about and some control boards, either fried and not working, or in the process of being repaired.

‘Okay if someone was in here then they weren’t here for any blueprints for any robots I’m designing, if that was the case then some of my blueprints would be missing… Huh…’

With a sigh she pulled out a pencil and tugged the one blueprint she’s been working on the last few weeks, taking a seat in her rolling chair, tugging one leg up to her chest and leaning her chin on her knee. Attempting to make a working drone was a very interesting concept that she was in the process of trying to make work, but aerodynamics was not her strong point.

Not at all, this was her twelfth version that she was working on and all the others either ended up not even getting off the ground, catching fire, or almost decapitating her by accident. Still it was a work in progress and it helped eased her nerves, helped appease the need to be doing something, something useful and having something to show for all her work.

It was a habit of hers that every day when she got back from work as S, she would spend the time before dinner as time to at least attempt some progress on her personal project, even if she was quite certain that it would just end up as another failure. It wasn’t as if this was new or anything , being a failure that is. She already was a failure to her parents, she wasn’t the child they wanted. They wanted an above average girl that was a social butterfly, instead they got a screw up of wasted potential that couldn’t be that, and couldn’t be the perfect genius of a child that they already had.

With another sigh she glanced over her current idea for her drone. Her last attempt was using two propellers that were bigger than the body but that ended up with almost cutting her face and slamming in a wall into little bits. This one however had four smaller propellers and much more stability. It might work, it might just work.

With a nod to herself now that she had a rough draft drawn, she proceeded to sketch out the individual parts and running calculations through her head about the size, width, and types of metal to use. Mind slowly wandering to something that had been a concern lately, mainly Naomi Misora.

She hadn’t been in contact yet with her, but by the end of this week a laptop and cellphone would be delivered to her hotel so that if she wanted to, then Misora could call her if she needed to. It was somewhat worrying that Misora wanted and now presumably is involved in the Kira investigation, there was a chance that she could die, a good chance that she could die. Not to mention the fact that Misora has horrible luck. The scars that decorated her side and arm are proof of that statement.

Out of the both of them Beyond had went after Misora first and it was by automatic reaction alone that Sayu was able to block the knife from Misora with her forearm. But following that choice she made, she was tackled and by the time Misora came out of shock, Beyond had already made several gashes along her body. It was honestly a surprise that she didn’t die of blood loss.

But Misora is a smart woman, she wouldn’t take unnecessary risks, she is smart and analytical, which was part of the reason why Sayu would be willing to do anything to help her friend. Even if she didn’t have much time as of yet to do anything as S, she would do all that she could. Sayu cared more for Misora’s life than her own… That was an undeniable fact that will most likely get her killed someday.

Then again, she usually prioritizes many things above her own self. Like assignments, the assignments are much more important than Sayu, because really now, who would miss Sayu? She was always a screw up and the only one that might miss her would be Light… Sentinel would be missed so much more, but in the end Sentinel is also replaceable, it was something that she also accounted for and was currently trying to find someone that would be able to be S when she would meet her end.

While Sayu Yagami is a screw up, Sentinel is less so, mainly because every assignment she received would be agonized over until she sees all possible outcomes, all possible angles before she moves her board pieces. She can see all the outcomes and decide which would be best and than implement a plan that would get that outcome… it was short sweet and a point A to point B. It was logical and had a process to go by, and if that process was followed then Sentinel would make no mistake

Sayu Yagami on the other hand did not have all that time to deliberate and decide. Not to mention there was noone there to shake their head in disappointment at S, no one to tell them how much they screwed up or to glare at them, or not to smile, or or… well that just made her work harder at being Sentinel rather than Sayu Yagami, because Sayu was already a screw up, Sentinel was just a pseudonym, a letter, a thing rather than a very human being. There was no room for screw ups while being Sentinel.

A muffled voice of, “Liiight, it’s dinner time!” made its way through the door as Sayu snapped out of her thoughts and looked over the design in front of her. It… was okay, still needs improvement, but much better than her last design. Standing with slouch she shuffled the paper into a slightly more organized fashion and tossed the pencil at a container on her dresser, not caring if it would land or not before trudging her way out of her room.

Making her way out into the hallway, Sayu did a little handwave to Light as he exited his room. He gave a smile and nod in her direction as they both made their way down the stairs on into the dining table and taking a seat in a comfortable silence before Sachiko made her way over and sat on the other side. The tv on in the background made the silence a bit more bearable as Sachiko looked over at Light with a smile on her face.

Sachiko seemed to have some sort of cutesy animal talk show on going over cat clothing or something as they family dished out the food with small thanks towards the mother. After a moment the family started eating, with Sayu slowly making her way through her small plate, not really paying any mind to the food she was eating. 

Not like it mattered much to her, she wasn’t really hungry anyway, and most things she ate was tasteless to her or dull. The only thing that she would eat in excess was swedish fish. Light swallowed and turned to his sister before asking,” So Sayu how’d your day go?” 

With a glance in his direction and a forced smile she said,” Eh, same old same old, hmm trying to find out the best game plan for the drone though… so troublesome…” Before taking another bite to avoid elaborating, eating was a great excuse, was it not?

Sachiko frowned at her daughter before saying,”I have no idea why you continue to do something so dangerous. Last time you managed to almost  _ set the house on fire _ , why can’t you just do something like an after school club like a normal girl, you could do gardening or sewing, I’m sure you’d enjoy it.”

Light saw the flinch and flash of hurt that quickly flashed across his sister’s face before it was hidden behind a mask of apathy and gave a careless shrug towards their mother, and he himself knew that that was also untrue, he knew Sayu always had backup plans such as flame extinguisher and the more major issue about that incident was that she had  _ second degree burns _ that he had to take her to the hospital for.

” Well I think it’s cool how good you are with robotics, just be careful and don’t be afraid to ask for help, okay?” The smile she sent his way pretty much said that she knew what he was trying to do, but it didn’t make it any better before stuffing her face with another mouthful of tasteless food, hiding a grimace as she didn’t really feel like eating. 

Of course, while making drafts for drones helped alleviate the need to do something it was also something useless, and even so she  _ should _ have known that it would malfunction. But yes, it was a waste of time and potential, and yes she should and does feel shame for wasting her time on something so useless… 

But it is also something she is somewhat good at and it is either right or wrong, the feeling of  _ being right _ and  _ knowing _ or having some  _ indication _ that she was doing right when one of her projects actually work fills her with such flush of success and achievement, if only for a moment before realising it is just a waste of time no matter if it makes her feel better for a while. 

“Eh, well how about you? You still studying right?” It was an obvious ploy to get the spotlight off herself, Sachiko was still giving Sayu a disappointed stare, and Light was fine with that, he knew how their parents acted towards Sayu, and also knew he was partly at fault because they always compared the two.

“Yeah, entrance exams are soon and I don’t want to chance anything. Maybe you should help, it would be nice to have someone quiz me, that way I know if I need more studying or not.” Leave it to Light to offer studying as a form of comfort, with a soft snort Sayu was about to respond before noticing the tv, “Huh? A news bulletin…” She said with slight curiosity.

The screen flashed with the words,’Interpol to send total of 1,500 detectives from various countries to Japan to help solve Kira Case.’ Sachiko looked surprised at the screen before saying in a slightly miffed voice, “1,500 detectives? “

However Sayu on the other hand was thinking over how it would be beneficial to broadcast information like that. With the twelve FBI agents that were killed, Kira was not aware that they were immediately investigating and they still died. It would make no sense to broadcast such information unless… it’s a bluff. 

Trying to put pressure on Kira…Another thought popped into her head as she realised that it was quite a coincidence that someone was  _ also  _ in her room today without taking or moving anything… It was probably just that, a coincidence, but her gut was telling her something else…

Okay so how did this tie in with each other… The FBI were here to investigate something, most likely the Japanese task force if L called in assistance from America…

Oh...oh… so that’s why. Sayu blinked in realisation as she pieced together the information in her mind. Most likely the NPA was being investigated by the FBI because L was trying to find a leak maybe, and when the FBI agents died L must suspect someone that they were tailing... meaning that with someone being in her room and the Chief making sure everyone would be out of the house for a specific time… they have cameras and bugs in the house.

Coming out from her thoughts Sayu glanced over at Light as he finished explaining why he thought it was a ruse and how Kira probably wouldn’t fall for it. “Well, what’s your thoughts on it Sayu?” He asked, honest curiosity in his voice. They probably played this news bulletin to see if they could capture some sort of damning reaction that would help prove that someone is Kira.

“Hmm, eh probably a bluff like you said.” tilting his head to the side, Sayu knew he was telling her to go on in detail, but she wouldn’t let him goad her into a debate, not with the sharp glance their mother held on her. 

Shrugging in a lazy manner she finished off her small plate and stood with chopsticks still in her mouth, chewing her last bite of food, before making her way over into the kitchen to start the dishes. Honestly she wanted to think for a moment, over her suspicions, she could just be paranoid, but a dose of paranoia also kept Sentinel from messing up.

It’s not as though she has anything to hide, She’s not Kira, and everything associated with Sentinel is never  _ ever _ brought within a hundred foot radius of her house. She would  _ never _ risk the possibility of someone, anyone finding out she was S, and in extension possibly targeting her family. Would never risk that.

So she can just go along with her day and not really think about the cameras, even if they are everywhere and… even in the bathroom… they would see the scars wouldn’t they? Not just the old scars but the cuts she has… They would see…

Taking a breath as she scrubbed the dishes, she decided pride was something she never had much of in the first place so she would just have to prioritize everything, yes if the Chief was also watching then he most likely would be disappointed, but he was already disappointed with her, how much more could he? First of all hiding the scars from the LABB case would be priority. It would be easy but she won’t be able to take a shower tonight or change clothes, which would be easy to pull off because she doesn’t really sleep at night anyway so there’s no real reason to change into pjs.

So tomorrow morning during her walk to school she could place in an order of makeup and some sort of synthetic skin that she could use an epoxy to stick on her her skin, something waterproof so that she could get a shower with, she’d only have to dress her upper left arm, side, and waist.

But that would leave her arms for plain view, it not like she could hide it, the scars from fire burns were there and it would be on her record so it would be suspicious if there wasn’t anything there… but at the same time the would have view of the cuts and faded lines on her forearms that were obviously self harm.

Then again she didn’t have much pride to begin with, and the best way to hide a bigger secret was to show a smaller one. Light dropped his and Sachiko’s dishes in the sink and took up the drying towel to the side, taking the clean plate from her hands and started drying it.

“You don’t need to do that Light, I got it…” Sayu said with a sigh as more thoughts filtered through her mind, she obviously wasn’t the main suspect though. She can admit, though reluctantly with self doubt, that she  _ might _ have the intelligence similar to Kira but… she’s Sayu, a screw up. They’ll see that soon enough unless they already do meaning she’s obviously not the main suspect.

“No it’s fine, I just wanted to talk for a bit anyway… So how about I grab my books and I can study in your room for a bit, I know you're a bit busy and all with your drone and your own studying but I think studying’s better with company anyway.”

With a glance out of the corner of her eye Sayu looked at Light’s face. Poster child of success waiting to happen. But… his eyes were always so empty, for as long as she could remember his eyes were always empty… just like how he said her eyes were always this hopeful broken look.

But now it seemed as though there was a spark of life in there, a bit more smug about something or a bit more happy with life. She was glad that at least that empty look was gone, for now atleast. Made her feel better a bit, he deserved happiness after all. He had both Sachiko and Souichiro’s acceptance and pride.

“Sure, if you want, but if I’m a bother you can leave, I’m sure you could find someone from school that’s a better study partner than me…’

Giving a chuckle and an award winning smile of an older brother finished drying the rest of the dishes as she turned off the water,” I wouldn’t want to study with anyone else, maybe we could play something instead… What was that one game you were telling me about?”

“...Battlefield 4, it’s a first person shooter. We could play some conquest or something in multiplayer. It’s a bunch of fun but you’ll probably need to get use to the controls and stuff, you don’t have to worry about your load out cause I know all the best ones for beginners. 

Maybe an engineering class or medic class for you… Uh… oh I’m rambling aren't I? Sorry, sorry!” Oh he did that on purpose, he knew how much she liked to talk about her games and how excited she could get when talking about them.

“Well how about I go study for a bit in my room, then we wait for mom to go sleep, then we can stay up and play a few rounds. If it’s anything like that Halo game we played before I’m sure I’ll get the controls down pretty quick.”

“Yeah that sounds good, I’ll go set it up got to reattach the xbox again, and clean up the wires a bit… ahaha!” Sayu laughed awkwardly, a bit ashamed at how messy her room is compared to Light’s. So usually Sachiko would turn in around eight thirty to read a bit and go to sleep so that left two hours to set up the console and study a bit as well.

It was in both their best interests to not let Sachiko know that they would be playing games instead of studying. They both knew that. So with that in mind Light walked over to the cupboard above the drying rack and pulled out a bag of chips and a smaller bag of swedish fish before saying,”Here,catch.” 

Catching the bag of swedish fish, Sayu grinned at the bag before giving a rushed thank you to her brother. Her grin was that of a child receiving a puppy for Christmas, and it was something that just made up the fact of who Sayu is, and also just how broken she is as well.

Light himself knew that Sayu was on par with his intelligence, but was also aware of the issues she also has, issues of self esteem or self worth. But she was also the only person in his entire life that was interesting and not boring. He knew that from a young age when she would catch onto things much faster than average, that’s why he practically raised her rather than their parents.

The faster she caught up to him he sooner he could have actual conversations with someone on his level, the sooner they could play competitive games, the sooner he could have an actual challenge. That’s what Sayu was, a challenge and a conundrum, a genius but also someone broken. 

Which in all honesty was something he did not expect, he thought she would end up like him but with how much she wanted their parents to accept her they didn’t want an intelligent daughter. They wanted a normal one to compare to their bright genius. 

So instead of Sayu turning out similar to him she turned into a person riddled with many different issues ranging from anxiety, depression, self doubt, and accepting of the fact that she was, at least in their parent’s eyes, a screw up. But then in the end, if there wasn’t something interesting about Sayu then he probably would have gotten bored of her anyway.

So acting as a kind caring brother to ensure that she wouldn’t break under pressure was the least he could do to ensure the only person that he could constantly challenge would still be around. Hell he’ll even admit that he does care for her the most out of any person he knows.

With a smile he made his way up to his room with his bag of chips, and more importantly, his way of having L be his alibi. Now that he covered all his bases to ensure that the Yagami household will be one step closer to being out of suspicion all he had to do was kick back and relax, and enjoy that video game that Sayu was talking about.

Now that Light was certain Sayu would be busy with either A) studying or B) setting up the gaming console, then he could go about his study session while two criminals being broadcasted and killed, all while the only two people in the house with the intelligence to be Kira had no access to that information. The perfect alibi.

Sayu finished wiping down the counters as she calmed down from the excitement of getting her favorite treat, continuing on with her thought process now that Light was gone. So she obviously was not the main suspect of the Kira Case, and it was highly unlikely that Sachiko was the main suspect either. Souichiro is out of the picture as well seeing how he’s obviously on the Kira Case...

That just left… Light… Pausing in her wiping for only a few seconds, Sayu quickly made it seem like she was observing her work when in actuality she was quite shocked with that conclusion. Swallowing down the emotions of doubt and denial that threaten to make her think emotionally rather than logically,she finished wiping the counters and grabbed the bag of candy before making her way up to her room. 

Sayu let an internal sigh of relief that when thinking alone she never let her thoughts show on her face, it would be counter productive to be expressive about any ideas she could have when alone, because who would ask? Honestly the only ones that have ever seen any thoughts play out on her face would be… Naomi Misora and to extension Beyond Birthday. Mainly because they were the only ones that had ever asked her opinion on anything.

Sure, she also had discussions with her brother, but she learned it was best to hide her thoughts from him lest she gave him more time to think up a response to blow her theory to bits. It was a defence mechanism, if she was outright asked by those she care for opinions from like Misora than she would be more open. If she was in a debate with competition or an opposing situation like debating with Light, then she was good at hiding her thoughts.

So if they main suspect it Light, even if she doesn’t even want to entertain the idea or notion because Light, her brother, being Kira? That just sounds preposterous! Light was the perfect embodiment of what she should be, what she worked towards all her life. He was the one to comfort her and to be the hero that she stood in awe around.

But even so, even if she thought that Light could never be Kira… Someone else did, and that is a different angle that as Sentinel she will be forced to observe and analyzing and nitpick… And if she did that now… She wouldn’t be able to act normal, she wouldn’t be able to be Sayu in front of these cameras, no because Sentinel needs to see  _ every  _ angle. And if that meant in one angle Light is Kira than Sentinel would investigate. Sayu on the other hand would be devastated.

Entering her room Sayu went about the motions of tugging a bunch of textbooks from her bookbag and placing them on her workspace, tugging several notebooks from one of her messy shelves she sat them on the desk as well. Making her way towards her dresser with her cup of pens and pencils, she kicks some wire and mess under her bed, and making the room look less like a mess.

Grabbing the pencils, Sayu made her way back to the desk making a mental note that she should take fifteen minutes to set up the game at a quarter to eight, before cracking one of the text books pen and started her notes on the chapter that they were going over in school.

Not as though the information wasn’t something she already knew, and she was certain that she would get at least a ninety on any tests, she still studied, because the difference of studying was those two answers that would prevent perfection on a test.

Not that she was perfection, no, Light could probably get a perfect score without studying but he still did it because that’s what a perfect son does. He studies to make his parents proud. So she studies as well, to show perfect grades and just how dedicated of a student she is. 

Putting forth all her effort on taking notes, she left the idea of Light being Kira for something that she would think over outside of camera view. For now she’s just Sayu Yagami being a studious person and doing what is expected of her.

“Your son hasn’t turned on his TV or computer once since dinner. He’s studying really hard”

“Well, his entrance exams are in less than ten days.”

The taskforce was quiet except for the observations being passed to and from. Ryuzaki, otherwise known as L say in his special way, knees drawn up to his chest, in one of the hotel room chairs, eyes focused on the screens in front of him.

Souichiro Yagami sat in a hunched over position, seeming more tired than usual, and rather than his prim and proper attire, it was less neat and more in disarray. Misora stood leaning predominantly on one foot behind L’s chair, observing the family as well but also keeping her emotions under wraps from what they all just witnessed.

It was obvious to Misora that there was some form of neglect going on in the household, and how cold the mother was to Sayu seemed to be a slightly off putting to even the Chief. So it seems that he’s not the main problem with the issues Sayu has, more or less just a contributing factor of not being around much to notice anything other than what was told to him.

He seemed to be at least concerned about how his wife acted towards their daughter as he elaborated that she did not in fact almost burn down the house, and had actually burned her arms quite severely. But otherwise than that it seemed more or less a minimal issue for him, that he said he would look into when he has time. But otherwise it seemed to just be an average disagreement between a teen and their parent, if Misora didn’t know that there was something else going on than she would have just wrote it off as just a normal disagreement.

“ And your daughter has also been studying since dinner, until several minutes ago when she started to set up the game console they spoke of in the kitchen… They seem quite close, your son and daughter, wouldn’t you say?” The Chief glanced between the two cameras showing Light finishing up his studies and the other showing Sayu messing with some wire and connecting it to her tv.

“Yes, they always have been. Light was a very doting brother, insisted to watch after her when at all possible. They use to play a lot of board games when they were children.”

“Your daughter seems to also have quite the interest in technology, but it doesn’t seem like your wife agrees with her pastimes…”

“Uh, well yes, I guess you could say that. Sayu had won the science fair two years ago, and I know Sachiko doesn’t… appreciate the talents Sayu has, she believes they’re a waste of time.”

“What about you Mr. Yagami?”

“Well, I’m not around enough to give an honest opinion but I do believe that she should be studying instead, you can’t make a living out of useless bots, you can make a living out of programming though.”

L seemed to be in thought, thumb pressed up under his lip as he glanced between the two teens, ‘Maybe he noticed it as well’, Misora thought,’Noticed that Sayu’s self esteem is low or that she seemed to accept the words as fact’.

Watari made his way quickly to L, a report in his hand,” Ryuzaki.” Without looking his way L asked,”What is it, Watari?” “A Bank employee being questioned for suspected embezzlement… and a purse-snatcher being held in detention, both just died of heart attacks, The 9 o’clock news tonight was the first time their cases were reported.”

Standing up quickly in shock and excitement the Chief yelled out,”It’s Kira!!” Watari continued on calmly,”Deputy chief Kitamura’s wife and eldest daughter watched those news reports.” 

L looked off towards the side as he thought out loud,” Yagami-san’s wife watched drama at that time. After the drama ended, she turned off the TV and never turned it back on. His son Light started studying at seven-thirty or so, and has been doing nothing else all night… His daughter Sayu has also been studying and also began to set up a gaming console in her room…”

Motioning his hands towards the monitoring tvs L continued,” Nobody in either family has a cell phone that can receive tv broadcasts. Nobody in the Yagami house sent or received E-Mails on their cell phone or computer… Kira needs to know someone’s name and face to kill them. So anyone who didn’t see those news broadcasts can’t be Kira…” Chief Yagami took that opportunity to call out”That means my family is innocent!!”

Bringing a hand up to his face, Ryuzaki crouched in thought, ignoring the outburst,”Kira’s victims today were killed right away for extremely minor crimes…” That left the older man silent as the information soaked in. 

Ryuzaki continued on,” And even though the cameras were only just installed, The Yagami family’s behavior today was so clean it’s almost funny…” Rubbing the pad of his thumb over his teeth Ryuzaki stared wide eyed at the screens deep in thought, watching the older sibling enter his sister’s room only to catch a controller thrown his way.

Light rose an eyebrow and rolled his eyes at the childish grin on his little sister’s face as she patted the side of the bed that she left open for him before making his way over and asking about the controls. The chief frowned at their lack of studying but also was slightly relieved that they were doing something normal for teens to do.

Back in his thoughts L realised something. Sayu did remind him of someone, she was similar to someone he once knew, and that was why he noticed some things that were obviously off with her. Like how she seemed to just accept the fact that her pastime is something that could be considered a waste. No that’s not correct, she believes it’s also a waste…

She was definitely a genius by any standard but… there was no arrogance or confidence like Light, only vaguely concealed anxiety and doubt, a lot of doubt. She didn’t even argue over something that she was obviously passionate about with her mother, just accepted it with a flinch of hurt before it was quickly hidden underneath a mask of apathy. She reminded him of A… 

She had the same broken look that was so empty and only holding onto some small bit of childish hope. There was obviously something wrong with her, and whether or not she would break was not a matter of if, but when…

L would have to gather more information on the teen before he decided anything, because even if she seemed unlikely she still had the possibility to be Kira, she had the intelligence. However he doubted that she was. Right now it was the question of whether or not he wants to get involved, because Sayu was definitely going to break if something did not change and the memories of that same damn look on her face, brokenly hopeful, was way too similar to A. 

Way too similar for his liking.


End file.
